Recent 20K Champ Jared Ward Leads Field Against Dathan Ritzenhein, Sam Chelanga, Matt Tegenkamp And Abdi Abdirahman At Next Month’s Medtronic TC (USATF) 10 Mile Championships

Equalizer Competition to Match Men versus Women for $10,000 Bonus

Press Release
September 8, 2015

St. Paul, Minn. – After a two year absence, the USATF Men’s and Women’s 10 Mile Championships return to the Medtronic TC 10 Mile on October 4, kicking off the Sunday racing at the 34th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend.

The race will draw four U.S. Olympians to the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul where a record prize purse of $81,000 is on offer, including a $12,000 winner’s check.  In addition, the event will again feature the $10,000 “Equalizer Bonus” for the first USATF Champion – male or female – to cross the State Capitol grounds finish line. Competitors in the USATF Women’s Championship will be given a head start on the men.

Olympian Janet Bawcom (Flagstaff, Ariz.), the 2011 and 2012 Medtronic TC 10 Mile champion and the runner-up at yesterday’s USATF 20K Championships in New Haven, Conn headlines the women’s field which also includes 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon third-place finisher Brianne Nelson (Golden, Colo.), who finished third at the USATF 20K, reigning USATF Cross Country champion Laura Thweatt, and eight-time NCAA Division II champion Neely Spence Gracey (Boulder, Colo.), the fourth-place finisher in New Haven.

The men’s field will be powered by Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.), the Medtronic TC 10 Mile men’s record holder and a four-time Olympian, Dathan Ritzenhein (Belmont, Mich.), a three-time Olympian who finished ninth in the marathon in Beijing, and Matt Tegenkamp (Portland, Ore.), a two-time Olympian who is one of only six American men to have broken 13 minutes for 5,000 meters.

Article continues below player.

Other male athletes of note include 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champion Tyler Pennel, 2015 USATF 20K, 25K, and marathon champion Jared Ward, and 2015 USATF 20 K runner-up Sam Chelanga, the Kenyan-born four-time NCAA champion who recently gained U.S. citizenship. Find complete USATF Men’s and Women’s 10 Mile Championships fields on the USATF website here.

“We’re honored to host such deep men’s and women’s USATF Championships fields at the Medtronic TC 10 Mile this year,” Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman said.  “The presence of Olympians in the fields gives the event added buzz both among the professional runners and for the citizen runners sharing the starting area with them.”

Fill out the BetterRunningShoes.com shoe survey and we will enter you into a drawing a free pair of shoes.
Overall
/10
Comfort
/10
Cushioning
/10
Durability
/10
Appearance
/10
Value
/10

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend kicks off on Friday, October 2 with the Health & Fitness Expo at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The Expo, which runs through Saturday, October 3, features more than 100 exhibitors, a full schedule of presentations, and packet pick up for the weekend’s races. 30,000 people are expected to participate in running events heldSaturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4.

The Saturday Events at the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul include the TC 10K, TC 5K, presented by Fredrikson & Byron, and the Medtronic TC Family Events. The Medtronic TC 10 Mile kicks off Sunday racing and is followed by the signature event of the weekend, the 34th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. For the 25th straight year, the marathon will host the USATF Masters Marathon Championships for runners 40 and older.

Want More? Join The Supporters Club Today
Support independent journalism and get:
  • Exclusive Access to VIP Supporters Club Content
  • Bonus Podcasts Every Friday
  • Free LetsRun.com Shirt (Annual Subscribers)
  • Exclusive Discounts
  • Enhanced Message Boards